The invention relates to a wiper blade with replaceable wiper squeegee for an automotive windshield wiper.
In German Utility Model DE 9,116,994.1 U1, a wiper blade is described for which a wiper squeegee produced by extrusion with a reinforcing strip embedded in its head piece is held, so as to be freely shiftable in its longitudinal direction, by the holding claws of a support frame. The support frame consists of a higher-level and an lower-level support, which are connected with one another rotatably around an axis running transversely. The supports of the support frame are made of plastic and the higher-level support is also hinged, rotatably around a transverse axis, to a wiper arm made of plastic. To limit to the necessary extent the longitudinal shifting of the wiper squeegee in the holding claws of the support frame, on the inner end of the wiper blade a stop is integrally molded onto the support; the stop extends downward from the spine of the support and stands opposite to the end of the wiper squeegee. On the outer end of the support frame, a second stop is provided, which stands opposite the other end of the wiper squeegee. This second stop is located on a special end piece made of plastic, which is mounted on the outer end of the relevant support to swivel around a geometric axis running transversely to the wiper squeegee between a hold position and a release position. On two parallel flaps which represent an elongation of the outsides of the end pieces, in each case, a hinge pin, directed inward, is mounted rotatably in an assigned bearing seat at the end of the support. In addition, by means of a special spring blade on the end piece, which acts together with a corresponding counter stop plate on the support, an automatic locking of the end piece is accomplished in the extended holding position. In the end piece with the second stop, to a certain extent the form of the support is continued, so that the second stop is directed downwards from the spine of the end piece.
To replace the wiper squeegee, while overcoming the locking force, the end piece is swivelled into a release position angled upwards. Now the worn-out squeegee can be drawn out in the longitudinal direction from the holding claws of the support and a new wiper squeegee can be shifted on in the opposite direction into the holding claws. Then the end piece is again swivelled back into its extended holding position. Here the catch spring on the end piece engages automatically in a form developed on the support and serving as a counter stop. In this way the end piece is automatically locked into its extended holding position.
The rotary movement of the end piece with respect to the second stop necessary for replacement of the wiper squeegee takes place in a plane in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade or of the wiper squeegee. The wiper squeegee is also mounted, in the holding claws of the support frame, to shift in the longitudinal direction. When the windshield wiper is in operation, the wiper arm executes a pendulum swinging movement around the wiper shaft. Here it can occur that the wiper squeegee, during this pendulum-swinging movement, is shifted in the direction of the wiper blade opposite to the wiper shaft and is pressed against the second stop located on the end piece. Thus there is a danger that in this way, the end piece, because of the force of the wiper squeegee pressing upon the second stop, will be swivelled out of its holding position, and this, in its longitudinal direction, releases the wiper squeegee. This danger is particularly present when the spring force of the catch spring on the end piece has diminished as a result of a number of replacements of the wiper squeegee or because the material has aged. The wiper squeegee can, without this being intended, slide out, at least partially, from the holding claws of the support, and this could be hazardous.
The object of the invention is to improve a wiper blade of the type described above.